I’ve only just heard this yesterday (and have now listened to it several times), so this is a bit of stream of consiousness/knee-jerk reaction of a review. Apologies.
Without, further ado, then – from the excellent Manchester-based (Salford, to be specific) label Sways Records comes “This Gift”, the latest from the group Naked (On Drugs).
The song has quickly coursed through my veins, acting as a gateway drug to the rest of the band’s oeuvre, which I’m also enjoying immensely. If ever they remake ‘A Clockwork Orange’ this song should (and, likely, would) be on the soundtrack.
The song is a tense, terse, spastic, listing joyride on a tilt-a-whirl at a traveling carnival where regular maintenance is not a priority. Above it all, a louchely crooning Cheshire Cat. Your attempts to focus, as you spin along to elastic bass slaps, joyous hand claps, stuttering tom toms, clarinet, saxophone and what sounds like a slide whistle(!), prove futile, disorienting: a hazy glimpse of Ian McCulloch jamming with Throbbing Gristle; a groggy thrust of Peter Murphy fronting The Birthday Party. The scene shifts to a sidewalk, outside a Berlin sex club – now covered in your own(?) sick, you hear the muffled pulse of the bass drum and the slinky synth beckon. You awake, on the floor, to find someone’s placed your hand in a bucket of warm water. End scene.
Glorious. Check out the video, below (fair warning: camerawork may induce seizures and/or vertigo).
Kult Country are a six piece hailing from Manchester, England. To date, they have released two singles, “Slowburn” and “Trembling Moon”. The first came out last year; I just heard the new single last week, and so am making up for lost time a bit with this write up.
“Slowburn” (5/13/2013, Sways Records) is truth in advertising: a slowed-down, “No Quarter”ish groove unfurls into swirls of distortion pedal goodness. Vocalist Yousif Al Kharagouli sounds a bit like the Richard Ashcroft of earlier, druggier Verve records fronting Chapterhouse or Slowdive. B-side “Amongst the Dead Forever” is a different beast altogether, bursting forth with a choppy, motorik beat underlying a repetitive melody line and vocals recalling 80s industrial or darkwave.
New single, “Trembling Moon” (6/30/2014, No Self Records) shimmers. Jingle jangle guitars float above a Ride-worthy, propulsive drum/bass combination running pell mell, tumble bumble into and through a baggyesque breakdown in the middle. A cavalcade of influences, to be sure: one hears Mighty Lemon Drops, Ride, Bluetones, Stone Roses…others…all blended together into a heady cocktail. B-side ‘Atlas Haze’ harkens back to “Slowburn”, a musical swirl cone (can you tell it’s a hot, muggy day as I type this?): one side chiming along like a lost cut from the first Smiths album, the other early period Verve (again) or perhaps Evergreen-era Brian Jonestown Massacre. Spacey with scattered bits of droned melody throughout, “Atlas” feels like “Trembling”s end of the rave come down.
In a clash of senses, these songs feel textural, almost tactile. From what I’ve read online, the band’s debut full length is set for release later this year. On this evidence, it is one I’m looking forward to very much. Check them out at www.facebook.com/KULTCOUNTRY.
SBTRKT dropped a new track today (June 6) – “Temporary View”, featuring vocals by the inimitable Sampha. The song opens with phasing synths, setting the mood for a dreamy melody befitting Sampha’s typically wistful lyrics and lilting vocals. This one seems like a true collaboration, as SBRTKT’s penchant for skittery beats and dense production is intertwined with the starker piano/beat combination characterizing much of Sampha’s early solo material. Not a floor filler/banger in the vein of previous team ups like “Break Off” or “Living Like I Do”, but on first listen a worthy successor to tracks like “Hold On” or “Never Never”. Will keep on repeat…and wait (somewhat) patiently for the in progress new full length.
The Wytches, Robe For Juda/Wide At Midnight (Hate Hate Hate Records, 11/17/2013)
A compelling slice of stoner/surf/grunge/psych/whateverit’sgood rock from this Brighton, UK based trio, released on the great Hate Hate Hate label, also home to The Fat White Family (the group are now on the just as great Heavenly Recordings – well done!). On the a-side, vocalist/guitarist Kristian Bell’s nasal croon floats disembodied over the track, which lurches spastically from jangly, psychedelic guitar and “Come As You Are”-inspired bassline to an angst-ridden piledriver of a chorus. B-side “Wide at Midnight” might be even better, following a similar dynamic with lovely 60s sounding melody, de- or evolving (I don’t judge) into a catharsis of imploding guitars, drums and bass. The quiet/loud/quiet dynamic in full effect. Similar in tone and dynamic to contemporaries like METZ (who they are touring with in July), this and other releases like the Gravedweller ep have me looking forward to their debut full length, due in August. The soundtrack to a really lost weekend – or maybe for that wraith chick in The Ring’s ascent from the well.
The Horrors’ radical musical evolution is as interesting as it is distracting. True, the left turn away from from the garage-punk of the band’s eponymous EP and subsequent debut, Strange House, to the lush, navel gazing kraut rock psychedelia of excellent follow-up, Primary Colours, was a radical one. What’s been lost, however, in the (over)attention to – initially – their look (‘dangerous outsider punks, or NME-conceived art school wannabes?’) and next, the transformation of their sound (‘what will they do next?’), is the fact that the band has been consistently both interesting and challenging. [Disclaimer – I quite liked both the initial EP and the (now) much maligned Strange House. Sue me.]
Similarly, The Horrors’ new album – the aptly titled Luminous – seems to be discussed more for what it isn’t (i.e., another radical reinvention of the band’s sound) than what it is: a very confident and assured album. While the arrangements and overall composition more reshape than remake those on last offering, Skying, this is a well-oiled machine of a band that knows what it wants to sound like. In particular, the guitar work of Joshua Hayward throughout is fantastic, from Will Sergeant-style arabesque stabs, to wall of effect pedals, it serves as both a compliment and a counterpoint to the rapture.
If Skying nudged aside the curtains to let a bit of the outside in, then Luminous throws open all of windows, unlocks the door, and leaves the band squinting in the morning sun. The sound here is bigger, and the band’s ability to conjure a melody has never been stronger. Of course musically, at least (cough), bigger does not always equal better, and I was initially fearful at hearing lead teaser track “I See You”, which further expands upon the stadium-sized New Wave elements of Skying (think Simple Minds), with a fair amount of bloat resulting. Thankfully, the next track teased – the excellent “So Now You Know” – retains the playfulness and quirky bits that make much of this band’s work interesting. While certainly still “big” (and you can still hear some Simple Minds in there…alas) the sky scraping melody is surrounded by a sold foundation and sonic experimentation, and the balance of the album is in this latter vein.
But, is anything new, you ask? Ok, fine: two things register as new takes on the theme. The first, and most obvious, is a focus on groove. Gone, for the most part, are the straight motorik beats that marked large portions of both Primary Colours and Skying. In their place are are more sprightly, polyrhythmic drum and bass patterns, some bordering on baggy grooves. Luminous feels, at it’s heart, like a kind of dance record – one that might not make you twerk, but will very likely at least make you sway vigorously. For proof, look no further than standout track “In and Out of Sight” – gorgeous, and begging to be listened to cocooned in a buzzing, strobe lit glow.
The second is Faris Badwan’s voice. While always distinctive, his off-kilter croon has largely been pushed to the middle of the mix. Here, though, his voice glides atop of the kaleidoscopic swirl. His vocal range has also expanded into a higher register and seems more powerful than on past efforts. There’s even a ballad here – ! – pulled off quite well (“Change Your Mind”), which should soundtrack cool kid “anti-prom” parties for years to come.
So, no radical reinvention then, just a really good album that deserves to be heard.
Highlights include: “In and Out of Sight”, “So Now You Know”, “First Day of Spring”, “Change Your Mind”.
“If you hold me forever, I’ll become bored of all of this together,
You can praise and thank the Lord for keeping us apart,
But the Lord ain’t God; he’s something clever,
But that ain’t smart…
Heaven is real” (“Hold Me Forever”)
Money are a four piece hailing from Manchester, England. The band’s label – the consistently outstanding Bella Union – has made fans on this side of the pond wait several months for a domestic release of debut album Shadow of Heaven (it’s been out in the UK since last Fall). It was worth it.
God. Sin. Religion. Faith (and the loss thereof). Despair. Hope. As the title suggests, religious themes abound – the Christ-like pose in the cover photo; the celestial chords of “Hold Me Forever”; the lyric imagery and plaintive, choirboy warble of singer Jamie Lee. Their label bio states that the band played some of the earliest shows at Manchester’s Sacred Trinity Church – small wonder.
God may be ‘dead’, as the opening track suggests, but remains present throughout – and like his counterpoint, is found often in the details. If we are indeed alone and in charge of each other, where do we search for solace? – sanctuary found in a smile from across a crowded bar; hope gleaned from the sight of a rabbit bounding across cracked and buckled pavement; faith restored as creepers and ivy reclaim abandoned property. A god of lesser things. Truth found in the dim, grey light of morning.
There are moments where the arrangements call to mind the early devotional music of composers like Thomas Tallis. There’s a stark, ethereal quality here; open spaces promoting contemplation – the descending Cloud of Unknowing. There are also aspects of the earnestness which marked the early output of bands like U2 and Coldplay. While those bands lost that emotion along the way to world conquering stardom, the emotion on display here is very raw, at times almost disconcerting. Even in the album’s larger moments – including the Clientele on steroids sweep of highlight “Bluebell Fields” – retain an intimacy; grandeur on a small scale. There is isolation in loneliness, but also peace and quiet and, from this, perhaps solace and rejuvenation. This is an album to sit with and absorb.
While this is truly a ‘band’ – each member works seamlessly with the others – the centerpiece is Lee’s voice. Whether pushed to the fore (“Goodnight London”) or awash in a swirl of reverb (“Bluebell Fields”), his voice resonates. While perhaps not a technically perfect singer, it’s in the bent notes and key drift that much of the powerful emotion is heard – particularly in the title track, where his voice come completely unhinged at its apex. There is beauty in the imperfection.
Highlights include: “Bluebell Fields”, “Goodnight London”, “Letter to Yesterday”, “The Cruelty of Godliness”.
Ezra Furman, Day of the Dog (Bar/None Records, 10/8/2013)
An album I took a while to settle down with – having heard tracks featured on many great radio shows, including Marc Riley’s show on BBC 6Music and The Late Riser’s Club on local WMBR – and extremely glad I did.
Having released several albums with the Harpoons, as well as solo material, Chicago native, Tufts University alum (go Jumbos!) Ezra Furman recorded Day of the Dog with a new backing band, the Boy-Friends. Musically, much of the album recalls the days when rock and roll, r&b and country were not easily distinguishable, adding glam stomp and proto-punk attitude. The return of Frankie and Johnny, then. The soundtrack to a sock hop held amidst the anarchic haze of a flop house in the Bowery.
In a rough, nasal voice recalling equal parts Hell, Johnny Thunders, Alex Chilton and (in quieter moments) Neil Young, Furman sings of estrangement and bewilderment; solace found only in “cold hands”. I don’t claim to be familiar with Furman’s work with the Harpoons, but it’s hard to imagine their playing being more evocative than the Boy-Friends. The contributions of saxophonist Tim Sandusky are worthy of particular praise, but the entire band is exceptional throughout.
Guitars and drums swing, pianos boogie and saxophones skronk on cuts like “Tell ‘Em All to Go to Hell’ and “Walk On In Darkness”, where Furman sings with impassioned zeal of being stuck in “a little apartment in Queens”, where everyone’s left save he and “the Lord…the trash piled high and a/chain on the door/and the neighbors don’t know what the hell that means”. Opener “I Wanna Destroy Myself” finds him treading water in a “world, rising up like vomit/filling up my ugly little mouth”. “My Zero” (official video below, via YouTube) is deliriously gorgeous and should be a hit – 70s AM gold stripped of cornball sheen; however, since real radio doesn’t exist anymore, I can only hope some music supervisor is paying attention. I can’t stop listening.
Psych-rock supergroup @mmmiiieeennn (ft members of @theblackangels, @ElephantStoneHQ & @TheEarlies) are today releasing their long-awaited second LP ‘MIIEN’ ⚡
You can stream and purchase your copy of the new album on deluxe gatefold vinyl and CD here: http://MIEN.lnk.to/MIIEN
